3 month old feeding issue

[Becproc23]

A few weeks ago, my DS, who is formula fed, lost his appetite for about 11 days, missing approximately one feed per day. He had had a viral infection around the time, so I put it down to this.

DS suddenly improved his feeds for about 5 days, taking in more than what is required for his weight, so I thought we were back on track.

Suddenly, we are now back to reduced appetite again, and it’s been like this for the last 5 days.

He is happy in himself, has dirty nappies and is still putting on weight (he has put on 0.1kg per week in the last month).

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? What it was or any advice? I’m going to speak to a HV tomorrow but it’s making me anxious

How much is he missing per day would you say @Becproc23? The usual guide is 2.5 floz per pound in weight per day

Thanks for your reply :) He is missing approximately 1 feed per day. He is definitely below the recommended amount for his weight but otherwise in himself, he seems okay. It feels like there isn’t much I can do at the moment except to monitor it.

If he’s following his percentile curve for weight I wouldn’t worry about it. My DD was taking less than the recommended amount for a long time but has continued to follow the same curve. Are you feeding on demand? He might also prefer smaller more frequent feeds so you could try increasing the frequency if you don’t think he’s getting enough.

@Becproc23 have they had their vaccines lately?

mine had his 12 week ones 2 weeks ago and for the next 5 days refused every feed. Eventually we figured out to feed him when asleep quickly pulling dummy out. Also started with hands in the mouth and dribbling so wasn’t sure weather teething too. Gradually started to take bottles but it is still tough now. I have to make sure he is hungry, so we upped the amount of formula and spread it out a bit longer.

Thanks for your reply. That’s reassuring to know. So far, DS is following the centile which is a relief. Did your DD always have lower feeds from birth or did it start after a couple of months?

Thanks for your message. Oddly the reduced feeds did start 2 days after his second round of vaccinations and it was like that for 11 days, when his feeds suddenly shot up again, but has now decreased again (not linked to any immunisations). I have tried giving him smaller feeds more frequently, but it doesn’t make a difference unfortunately. I’m now trying to stretch feeds out for longer amounts of time. It’s so stressful!

My DD always took a bit less than the recommended amount but she did go through a snacky phase at around 3 months when she would only drink 2 oz at a time and I felt like I was spending all day making bottles.